While one may disagree with the Athens Bar Association for threatening that its members will not attend trials presided over by “indolent and inadequate” judges, the truth is that this radical and legally controversial protest has thrown the spotlight on longstanding weakness in the assessment of judges.

Unfortunately, judges are not adequately judged by the institutions that are charged with this task and this has led to corruption (e.g. the trial-fixing ring) or foot-dragging in the administration of justice.

We hope the lawyers do not make good on their threats, because they will likely create more problems than they are hoping to resolve.

But we also hope that senior members of the judiciary listen carefully to this desperate cry of protest.

Greeks are reaching the end of their tether when it comes to tolerating corruption, trial fixing and delays.

In this sense, the bar’s protest may be just the alarm bell needed to awaken the justice system.